§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assurances an applicant for a firearm or shotgun certificate will have in respect of patient confidentiality between himself and his doctor, under the proposals recommended by his Department's Operational Police Policy Unit to require or authorise inquiries to be made by the police directly with the applicant's general medical practitioner; what safeguards he proposes to include in the proposals; and if he will publish copies of the advice which he has received from the British Medical Association and other professional medical representative bodies; [42416]
(2) what assurances the applicant for a firearm or shotgun certificate will have that inquiring police officers or police civilians have a satisfactory understanding of the medical facts presented to them, under the proposals being made by his Department's operational police policy units to require future applications to disclose to the police any medical condition or disability. [42415]
§ Mr. MichaelThe Firearms Rules, which prescribe various forms used in the firearms licensing system, are in the process of being revised to take account of the recent changes in firearms law. The new application form for a 333W firearm certificate will contain a number of questions about the applicant's health. An applicant's medical condition or history may be a relevant factor in determining fitness to possess firearms. It is only right that the chief officer of police should have this information in order to reach an informed judgment on an application. Accordingly, it is proposed that the application form should seek the applicant's authority for the police to obtain factual information about these conditions from his doctor. It will be for individual chief officers to ensure that such information can be interpreted properly, through either appropriate training or access to professional medical advice. Correspondence from individuals and bodies with whom we may consult as a matter of routine is not normally published and we have no plans to do so.